Ear tag applicator

ABSTRACT

An ear tag applicator having pivotally connected handles each having a jaw. One of the jaws has a tag engaging pin which is biased into a nearly perpendicular orientation with respect to the opposing jaw. A biasing spring allows the pin and the tag held thereby to pivot relative to the jaw at all times so that the device will not tear or rip the animals ear during its application.

The present invention relates to an improved ear tag applicator.

More particularly, the present invention relates to an improvedapplicator for applying ear tags to animals whereby the ear tagengagement means is locked until the tag is inserted and whereupon itpivots away from the applicator upon insertion of the tag.

To the present time a wide range of ear tag applicators have been known.These generally consist of a pliers type of applicator, often of thetrocar type, which usually involves a hand held appliance whereby in usea pin or blade pierces the animal's ear and then draws through the headof the ear tag. In such applicators the manner in which the blade or pinis positioned and directed is important. Prior art applicators have useda variety of means to achieve this including a relatively complexslidingly movable element within a housing as found in New ZealandPatent Specification No. 205008. Other applicators have utilised the useof mechanical retention means to keep the blade or pin in position priorto, during or after insertion of the ear tag.

The aforesaid applicators have tended to be complex and/or inefficient.It is an object of the present invention to address these difficulties.

According to one broad aspect of the invention there is provided anapplicator for an animal ear tag including at least two pivotallyconnected handle members extending into or being attached to first andsecond jaws, and a driving means comprising a body portion and elongatetag engagement means characterised in that the driving means ispivotally connected adjacent one end of the first jaw member to enablethe driving means to pivot about and relative to its pivotal attachmentto the first jaw member.

According to another broad aspect of the invention there is provided anapplicator tool for applying an ear tag to an animal comprisingactuating means connected to upper and lower jaw means the said jawmeans being movable towards and away from each other, driving meanscomprising a body portion and elongate tag engagement means wherein thetag engagement means is pivotable and the load on the tag engagementmeans is located below the point of pivot thereby restraining said tagengagement means in a first position and whereby said tag engagementmeans is pivotable away from the applicator to a second position oncethe ear tag has been applied to the animal.

In a preferred form of the invention the tag engagement means comprisesa pin which in its first position is substantially diagonal to the upperand lower jaw means and is pivotable so as to lie in substantially thesame plane as the upper jaw means upon insertion of an ear tag.

The driving means preferably consists of a body portion movable about apivot wherein the said movement is determined by restraining meanslocated around the said body portion and wherein biasing means assiststo restrain the said driving means in a first position.

Further objects of the invention will become apparent from the followingdescription which is given by way of example only of a preferredembodiment of the invention. Reference is made to the accompanyingdrawings wherein:

FIG. 1: is a side elevational view of a preferred form of the applicatortool according to the invention showing the driving means in a "cocked"position and showing part of the upper jaw means partially cut away;

FIG. 2: is again a partially cut away view of the applicator tool ofFIG. 1 showing the driving means in a "spent" position;

FIG. 3: is a diagrammatic side elevational view of an applicator tool ofFIG. 1 to illustrate the insertion of a one piece ear tag--prior toinsertion of the ear tag;

FIG. 4: shows the insertion of the ear tag using the applicator shown inFIG. 3 upon insertion of the ear tag through an animal's ear;

FIG. 5: is an ear tag applicator as shown in FIG. 1 illustrated with atwo piece ear tag;

FIG. 6: shows the applicator and ear tag of FIG. 5 upon insertion of theear tag through an animal's ear.

The applicator of the present invention may be constructed according tothe pliers type of applicator tool, as embodied in existing applicatortools. In FIG. 1, the applicator tool is referenced by Arrow 1. It hasactuating means comprising upper handle 2 and lower handle 3. Upperhandle 2 is integrally formed with lower jaw 4 and lower handle 3 isintegrally formed with upper jaw 5. It will be appreciated that upon theclosing of handles 2 and 3, upper jaw 5 and lower jaw 4 will be movabletowards each other, and vice versa.

The cut away portion of upper jaw 5 discloses a hollow interior 6 withinwhich are positioned various restraining means. The first is an "L"shaped restraining means 7 comprising an elongate base 8 and upstand 9.The other restraining means comprises an inverted "L" shaped restrainingmeans 10 wherein the upstand 11 is substantially vertical.

The applicator tool has a biasing means 12 which is kept in tension bymeans of spacer 13.

The apparatus has a driving means 14 comprising a body portion 15, tagengagement means 16 and centrally located pivot 17.

It will be seen that body portion 15 has five sides--15a, which in the"cocked" position in which the driving means is located in FIG. 1,points downwardly, 15b to which is attached tag engagement means 16,side 15c which abuts against restraining means 7, side 15d which is inabutment with the free end of biasing means 12 and 15e which pointstowards the front of the applicator tool.

In the present position, for convenience referred to as the "cocked"position the driving means is retained in position by restraining means7 and biasing means 12. When an ear tag is loaded onto the tagengagement means, which in a preferred embodiment is pin shaped, thedriving means will be retained in "cocked" position by virtue of thefact that the tag engagement means is located rearward and below of thepoint of pivot. This means that a minimal biasing of biasing means 12 isrequired to keep the pin in the "cocked" position.

As an illustration of the manner of operation of the applicator toolreference is made to FIGS. 3 and 4 wherein a one piece ear tag is shownto be applied. The ear tag 18 is shown to have a body portion 19 andpointed head 20. FIG. 1 shows the applicator tool with the upper jaw 5and lower jaw 4 in an open position and with the driving means in a"cocked" position. FIG. 4 shows the driving means still in a "cocked"position but with the sharpened head 20 having pierced an animal's ear21.

FIGS. 5 and 6 illustrate the applicator tool applying a two piece eartag wherein the male portion of the ear tag 22 is attached to the tagengagement means (not shown) and wherein the female portion of the eartag 23 is attached to a tag holder means 24 spring loaded onto lower jaw4.

FIG. 6 shows the same ear tag having pierced an animal's ear 21.

In all the above cases the driving means remains in a "cocked" position.It will be seen that upon completion of the above steps both handles 2and 3 and jaws 4 and 5 will be in a closed position. Upon insertion ofthe tag through the animal's ear (or other skin) the tag engagementmeans will need to be removed from the ear tag/ear. This may be achievedby pulling the applicator tool away from the animal's ear oralternatively by the animal itself pulling away from the applicatortool.

Upon this occurring the tag engagement means 16 will pivot in thedirection of arrow A. That is, from a substantially vertical to asubstantially horizontal position as illustrated by position B of FIG.2. In this position, conveniently referred to as the "spent" position,the sides of body portion 15 will be located as follows: 15a will bepositioned upwardly and forwardly, 15b forwardly, 15c downwardly, 15ddownwardly and rearwardly and 15e would be restrained by means of therestraining means 12. Further travel would be prevented by tagengagement means 16 striking the lower portion of restraining means 11.

It will be appreciated from the above that the tag engagement means ofthe present invention has a first "cocked" position and a second "spent"position, with the position being determined by the combined effect ofthe restraining means, biasing means and load placed on the tagengagement means itself. It will be seen that the movement of thedriving means from the substantially vertical "cocked" position to thesubstantially horizontal "spent" position may be relatively simply andefficiently achieved with a minimum of movement and moving parts. Thisprovides for a applicator tool having enhanced performancecharacteristics and one which provides greater ease of use for theperson applying ear tags.

It will also be appreciated that the positioning of the tag engagementmeans is determined by a combination of factors as opposed to a specificrestraining means which holds the body portion or tag engagement meansin a fixed position until the tag is inserted.

Where in the foregoing description reference has been made to specificcomponents or integers of the invention having known equivalents thensuch equivalents are herein incorporated as if individually set forth.

Although this invention has been described by way of example and withreference to possible embodiments thereof it is to be understood thatmodifications or improvements may be made thereto without departing fromthe scope or spirit of the invention.

I claim:
 1. An applicator for an animal ear tag comprising at least twopivotally connected handle members, said handle members being movablebetween fully open and closed positions, first and second jaws beingrespectively attached to said at least two pivotally connected handlemembers, a driving means being pivotally connected adjacent an end ofsaid first jaw, elongate tag engagement means connected to said drivingmeans and pivotal therewith from a first position in which said elongatetag engagement means is directed generally towards said second jaw andat least partially directed away from a line perpendicular with saidfirst jaw and adjacent said end of said first jaw, and a second or spentposition in which said elongate tag engagement means is directedgenerally outwardly from said end of said first jaw, and biasing meansto bias said elongate tag engagement means in said first position duringmovement of the first and second jaws towards each other, said elongatetag engagement means being free to pivot relative to said first jaw whensaid handle members are in said fully open position and said elongatetag engagement means is in said first position.
 2. The applicator asclaimed in claim 1 wherein said elongate tag engagement means comprisesa pin which is pivotal with said driving means so as to liesubstantially in a same axis as the first jaw in said second or spentposition.
 3. The applicator as claimed in claim 1 wherein said drivingmeans includes at least two sides, and said biasing means is selectivelyin contact with one of the sides of said driving means as to biasrespectively said driving means to the first and second positions. 4.The applicator as claimed in claim 1 wherein said second jaw is formedwith a receiving place to locate one portion of a tag.
 5. The applicatoras claimed in claim 1 wherein spring means are provided to bias saidhandle members and said first and second jaws into a normal position inwhich said handle members are in said fully open position and said jawsare respectively spaced apart from one another.
 6. The applicator asclaimed in claim 1 wherein said elongate tag engagement means when insaid position has a longitudinal axis which passes rearwardly of a pivotaxis of said driving means from said end of said first jaw.